Tragedy in hearts of Belarusians. Minsk honors memory of Chernobyl's disaster victims

Belarus today remembers the tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. 39 years ago, a major man-made disaster occurred, dividing lives of millions of people into 'before and after'. Commemorative events are being held all over the country today.

Laying flowers to the memorials "Victims of Chernobyl" and "Hiroshima Peace Stone" began at exactly 11:00. The first to pay tribute were the liquidators of the Chernobyl tragedy. The line of people does not end. This says only one thing - in our country these tragic pages of history are remembered and honored.

The radioactive cloud affected more than 20 countries, but Belarus suffered most of all. A huge damage was inflicted on agriculture. Almost half a million residents were forced to leave their homes. But despite this, we have learnt to cope and overcome the consequences of the disaster. This has become a national priority.

Zhanna Cherniavskaya, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus: "A lot has been done. And it is not only protection of people from radiation. It is health improvement, it is special medical examination, it is provision of living conditions, it is gasification, electrification, water supply. This is today, including the information component. This is science that works. Now we are approaching the revival of these territories. Economy comes first and is invested in socio-economic development."

Colossal workforce and means were invested in large-scale activities. Since the 90th year, an amount equivalent to $19 billion has been allocated from the budget to implement five state programs. But the most important thing is the memory of those who, at the cost of their lives, helped to prevent even more catastrophic consequences.

Alexander Barsukov, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus: "There are liquidators, young people and servicemen here. Everyone remembers and should remember. Who does not remember the past has no future. Such events as we have in the Republic are held nowhere else. This shows how much importance the leadership of the Republic attaches to this tragedy. The speech of the head of state yesterday said a lot."

State organizations and public associations as well as many enterprises took part in the flower-laying ceremony. There were a lot of people. No wonder, because this tragedy still lives in the hearts of Belarusians.